William J. Crockett (July 22, 1914 – March 18, 1999) was a

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and official in the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...

Biography

William J. Crockett joined the

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in 1951 and became a

Foreign Service Officer A Foreign Service Officer (FSO) is a commissioned member of the United States Foreign Service. Foreign Service Officers formulate and implement the foreign policy of the United States. FSOs spend most of their careers overseas as members of U ...

a short time later.Elmer Plischke, ''U.S. Department of State: A Reference History'' (1999), p. 456. He spent 1954-58 as an FSO in

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. After six years as an FSO,

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

appointed Crockett

Assistant Secretary of State for Administration The Assistant Secretary of State for Administration is the head of the Bureau of Administration in the United States Department of State. The Assistant Secretary of State for Administration reports to the Under Secretary of State for Management ...

, with Crockett holding this office from February 23, 1961, until June 7, 1963. He became Deputy

Under Secretary of State for Management The Under Secretary of State for Management is a position within the United States Department of State that serves as principal adviser to the Secretary of State and Deputy Secretary of State on matters relating to the allocation and use of Depar ...

in June 1963, holding this office until January 1967. Shortly after his appointment as Assistant Secretary,

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Robert F. Kennedy Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925June 6, 1968), also known by his initials RFK and by the nickname Bobby, was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 64th United States Attorney General from January 1961 to September 1964, ...

had tasked Crockett with introducing business

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techniques to the

, as had been recommended by the

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, chaired by

Henry Wriston Henry Merritt Wriston (July 4, 1889 – March 8, 1978) was an American educator, presidential advisor, and served as president at both Brown University and Lawrence University. Early life Henry Merritt Wriston was born in Laramie, Wyoming, Laramie ...

. The so-called "Crockett reforms" that he introduced were ambitious, but met resistance, and were largely seen as a failure.Elmer Plischke, ''U.S. Department of State: A Reference History'' (1999), p. 457.

References

Oral History Interview of Crockett
1914 births 1999 deaths United States Assistant Secretaries of State {{US-gov-bio-stub